Stick control unit



A ril 9, 1946. c. 1.. PAULUS ET AL.

STICK CONTROL UNIT Filed July 13, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR (Sh/4245s A. 244/4. as F250 ,4. UIQ.

66. z y I H C (/LLMAN, BY

April 1946- 'c. L. PAULUS ETAL 2,397,978

STICK CONTROL UNIT Filed July 125, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORJ Chwezflss A. AUA. us Peep 7. OULLMA L/E'.

April 9, 1946. c. PAULUS ETAL STICK CONTROL UNIT Filed July 13, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Y 4 INVENTORS CHARLES 4 quLc/s w: M W Z 4 M L m H 4 Patented Apr. 9, 1946 OFFICE STICK CONTROL UNIT Charles L. Paulus, Dayton, and Fred A.

Cullman, Jr., Osborn, Ohio Application July 13, 1944, Serial No. 544,810

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) 3 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

The invention relates to stick controls and par ticularly to the adaptation of a stick control to remote control apparatus for aerial targets.

An object of the invention is to provide, for

controlling aerial targets and like equipment by radio, a means the operation of which closely simulates the movements required by a, pilot in flying an airplane.

Another object is to so construct and arrange the device that the several directional commands will be isolated i. e. either up, down, right or left.

Another object is to provide means to release a parachute which is carried for landing the aerial target.

Other objects will be evident upon a consideration of the following description, reference being had to the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the side of the instrument opposite the operator, this being the side which carries the parachute release button.

Fig. 2 is an elevation viewed from the right of Fig. 1, this being the side which carries the connector plug and the phone jack.

Fig. 3 is an elevation viewed from the left of- Fig. 1, this being the side which carries the volume control for the phones.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view with the bottom cover removed, showing the interior of the de vice.

Fig. 5 is a central vertical section through Fig. 4, taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4 also showing a portion of the interior construction.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the wiring connections within the housing of the device.

Parts appearing in more than one view are assigned the same reference character in all views in which they appear.

Referring now to the drawings, the housing of the device is substantially square in plan view having four sides l2, I4, l6, and I8 with a permanently secured top cover 20. A removable bottom cover 22 is fastened with screws 24.

Mounted on the underside of the top cover within the housing ID are four micro switches 28, 28, 3B, and 32, the operating springs 34, 38, 38, and 40 of which carry rollers 42, 44, 43, and 48. The control stick 50 carries a stud 52 which is supported in a rubber mount 54. The rubber mount is held in a flanged casing 56 secured to the. top cover 20 by bolts 58, whereby the stick 50 may have its axis leaned away from the normal vertical position shown.

The lever end'60 of the stud 52 extends through a clearanceopening 62 in the top cover 20 and into the housing, the lower end being so positioned with reference to the switch operating rollers 42, 44, 46, and 48 that leaning the stick in a selected direction operates the desired micro switch.

A selector guide plate 64 is interposed between the top cover 20 and the flanged member 56 and held in place by the same screws 58. The guide plateffidhas. a ff our-1eaf-clover shaped opening 66 through which the lower end of the stud 52 extends, whereby the several switch rollers are isolated so that one at a time only of the switches may be operated. By reference to Fig. 4, however, it will be apparent that only slight modification of the relative size and positions of the parts are necessary to enable the operator to operate two adjacent micro switches simultaneously, as for example to operate controls for down and right, down and left, up and right, or up and left. By care in determining the proper depth of the indentations of the cloverleaf opening, the springs 34, 36, 38, and 40 are automatically protected against too great pressure being exerted on them by the stick. The use of a. spring and roller for operating the micro switches is in itself protection against too great pressure being exerted on the switches.

The parachute release switch 68 is mounted in one side of the housing. The stem of the switch extends through an opening in the side I6 and is held in place by a nut 10. A button 12 on the outside of the housing is provided for operating the switch. A guard 14 prevents accidental operation.

For volume control, a potentiometer I6 is mounted by extending its stem through an opening in the side I 4 of the housing and securing it with a nut 18. A knob is provided for manually operating the control.

Mounted in the side [8 of the housing I0 is a phone jack 82 having spring clips 84. The stem of the jack extends through an opening in the side wall and is held in place by the nut 86. A hinged drop cover 88 is provided to protect the jack against rain.

Attached to the same side wall l8 as the jack, is a connector which consists of an inside part 90 and an outside part 92 held together and to the side wall [8 by bolts 94. The inside part 90 carries the several "solder-on tabs 96 to which the wires of the internal nimnit nrn 'hrnnnkb a; k.-

which they are connected to the external wiring which extends to the several units which are to be controlled. Openings are provided through the part 92 for the external wiring.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Movement of the stick 50 fore or aft, right or left, as selected, operates the selected relay or transformer of the sending apparatus. Movement of the stick closely simulates operation of the stick employed in controlling aircraft. When the stick is released it returns to-neutral. The phone jack and the potentiometer may be used for audible check of the control signal.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A stick control unit which comprises a housing closed on the upper side except for'a central clearance opening, a casing mounted on said closed upper side over said opening, a resilient flexible disc for forming a closure for the upper side of said casing, a stick centrally secured in said flexible disc with its upper end extending above said disc and its lower and extending downward through the bottom of said casing and through said clearance opening into said housing, said stick being normally held by said disc with its axis normal to the plane of the closed upper side of the housing but adapted to have its axis tilted in any direction by fiexure of said disc, a series of electrical switches secured at spaced positions on the inside of said housing each having a switch operating means, and guide means in the bottom of said casing adapted to selectively guide the lower end of the stick into engagement with said switch operating means one at a time and to limit the movement of said stick with respect to said switch operating means.

2. A stick control unit which comprises a housing, a casing mounted on said housing, a resilient flexible disc forming one wall of said casing, a stick medially secured in said flexible disc with one endextending outwardly beyond said disc for manual operation and the other end extending inward into said housing, said stick being normally held by said disc in a neutral position but adapted to be tilted in any direction by fiexure of said disc, a series of electrical switches ar ranged about the inner end of said stick in said housing each switch having an operating means, and guide means supported on said housing adapted to selectively guide the lower end of said stick into engagement with said switch operating means one at a time and to limit the movement of said stick with respect to said switch operating means.

3. A stick control unit which comprises a flexible resilient disc having a central opening, a stick secured intermediate its ends in said opening, supporting means for holding said disc by its outer edge, whereby said stick may be tilted from its normal position by pushing one end and flexing said disc, a series of electric switches spaced around the other end of said stick, a witch operating means on each switch, and guide means surrounding said other end of said stick for selectively guiding the said other end of said stick into engagement with said switch operating means and for limiting the movement of said stick with respect to said switch operating means.

CHARLES L. PAULUS. FRED A. CULLMAN, JR. 

